Bill Clinton calls for GOP to improve - not repeal — Obamacare

Clinton outlined where he thought the law falls short, and he spelled out fixes. He called on Congress to unite behind plans to fill gaps in health coverage – although that would likely driving up federal spending, which isn’t going to sooth GOP concerns about the cost of the health overhaul in the first place. Clinton’s largest worry is that many GOP-led states have refused to accept potentially billions in federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage. That will leave many poor people uncovered.

The White House had requested the Clinton speech, but he selected to deliver it in his home state of Arkansas, giving him a chance to highlight the bipartisan compromise local leaders reached this year to implement Obmacare’s Medicaid expansion. The state passed a so-called “private option” that accepts the expansion, but covers the new enrollees with private plans on the state’s exchange.

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“Arkansas, Gov. Beebe and the legislators are leading the country, I think, in bipartisan efforts,” said Clinton, whose speech frequently touched on health care efforts in his home state and even mentioned the state’s new health insurance exchange, known as the Arkansas Health Connector, by name.

“The rest of us ought to get behind them and help them,” Clinton said, calling on state officials across the country to follow the Arkansas example.

That’s not going to be so easy, as Arkansas proves. Despite the Medicaid compromise, Obamacare remains a hot-button political issue here. That was highlighted by the absence of Sen. Mark Pryor, whose vote for the health law will likely play a major role in a contentious Senate race against tea party-aligned Rep. Tom Cotton to keep his seat next year.

Cindy Crone, director of the health insurance marketplace, recently told POLITICO she sees constant political challenges to signing people up for coverage this fall. Crone said legislative efforts and major spending from outside groups undercut efforts to get as many as 435,000 uninsured Arkansas enrolled in coverage in Obamacare’s first year.

“We’ll continue to have political opposition,” Crone told POLITICO from her office last month. “I wish that part would go away, and I know that part wishes I would go away.”

The largest question hanging over the start of enrollment is whether young people will sign up for coverage in the new insurance marketplaces. If young people don’t buy in, it could drive up the costs of insurance for everyone else.

Clinton explained how uninsured consumers can log on to new government websites to shop for health plans and find out whether they’ll qualify for a government subsidy. He went into the specifics of the different value of health plans people can purchase — catastrophic, bronze, silver and gold — depending on the cost of premium.

“It’s like the Olympics,” Clinton joked. And he had affordability advice for the young people: “Most are better off buying the bronze.”

Clinton’s speech felt like Obama’s previous health care speeches in one inconvenient way for the White House – it’s at risk of being overshadowed by the news of the day. Syria is dominating the headlines, just like how revelations of IRS political targeting and Edward Snowden drowned out two major Obama health speeches in the past few months.